No Casket, No Flowers 
Thomas Lynch
- Committed to the Cleansing Flame: The Development of Cremation in 19th-Century England by Brian Parsons
Mostly I remember the quick pearlescent cloud, the puff of white it made in the rush of current, when I dumped Hughey’s ashes in the water. And watching what remained of him disappear downstream, I thought of the masked man riding off at the end of that cowboy show I watched as a boy: ‘A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty Hi-Yo Silver! The Lone Ranger!’
Subscribers to the print edition can log in to view the entire article. For information about subscribing to the London Review of Books click here. This article is available for purchase online. Buy this article.
Thomas Lynch is a writer and funeral director. Booking Passage: We Irish and Americans came out last year.
print layout
tell a friend